Tryouts
My older son had his first basketball tournament this past weekend with his 5th grade traveling team. They had tryouts a few weeks ago, and he was excited to have made the team. He loves basketball and has been playing on local little league teams for several years and did traveling ball last year.
When you think about tryouts, they can be a little nerve racking. You have a short amount of time to demonstrate that you have the skills and drive to be a successful member of the team.
In most cases when there are tryouts, there are cuts. That’s just how it goes. Not everyone can make the team because realistically, there are only a few spots available to allow everyone adequate playing time. Additionally, coaches want to win ball games, so they choose the best players for the team.
Nobody wants to be cut from a team, right? I mean, why would you put in the time and effort at a tryout if you didn’t want to be on the team? Therefore, if you want to play, you must give it your all and show the coach that there’s a position that you need to fill.
This year, the coaches of my son’s team didn’t have to make any cuts, as there were only ten players who came to tryouts. There was a guaranteed spot for all the players who showed up. Wouldn’t that be great, if that’s all it took to make it onto a team…simply demonstrating your commitment by showing up?
Luckily for you, me, and anyone else desiring a position, there is such a team…the Lord’s team. “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away,” (John 6:37).
Sometimes, I think we look at things backwardly, and instead of putting our best effort into our walk with Christ, we in a sense “try out” God (forgive us Lord), try out a different church or just church in general, try out the Bible, try out a Christian radio station, etc.
Unfortunately, some of us decide after trying out these things, that they’re not for us and go about our lives as before. Some players quit God’s team and seek worldly things to fulfill the voids that only Christ can fill, if only they were committed to Him and not just trying out faith.
Thankfully, God will never try us out. He is constantly seeking players, and He will never turn away anyone who wants to commit to His team. He is for us, not against us. And isn’t that a wonderful thing?
“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).
There’s an example in the Bible of a woman who didn’t externally appear as if she would make the cut, but through her story, Jesus shows us that He has a place for everyone on His team. You can read more about her in John 4:1-42.
We don’t know the woman’s name, but we do know a little bit about her from God’s Word. Jesus asked her for a drink from the well where she had come to fill containers with water, and they began a conversation about living water that would change her life and that of many others.
Outwardly, the woman could have been considered the least qualified to do God’s work. Not only was she a woman in a society that often degraded the female sex, but she was also a Samaritan, which was an ethnic group the Jews universally despised (and vice versa).
Additionally, she was a social outcast within her own community. We know this not only because she was drawing water from the well alone during the hottest time of the day, which wasn’t the norm, but also from Jesus’ words, “…You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband…” (John 4:17-18).
Interestingly, while taboo, Jesus spoke to this woman who was both alone and a Samaritan. In fact, His private conversation with her is the longest one recorded within the New Testament! Jesus asked her for water, although sharing a drinking container with such a person would have been considered unclean. Even more amazing is that this woman was the first person to whom Jesus specifically revealed Himself as Messiah in the book of John.
“’Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.’ The woman said, ‘I know that Messiah’ (called Christ) ‘is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.’Then Jesus declared, ‘I, the one speaking to you—I am he,’” (John 4:23-26).
We know from the gospels that Jesus did a lot of recruiting during His time on earth, but there weren’t always many takers. However, this was not one of those instances. The Samaritan woman went out and dominated for the Lord. She went to work right away, telling others about Jesus.
“Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?’ They came out of the town and made their way toward him,” (John 4:28-30).
Through her faith and testimony, the Samaritan woman recruited many more people to Team Jesus. “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I ever did.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, ‘We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world,’” (John 4:39-42).
Aren’t you glad you don’t have to try out for a spot on the Lord’s team? If you show up to play, you’ve already made it, just by saying, “Jesus, I believe in you and want to be on your team!”
Just as Jesus accepted the Samaritan woman, He also accepts you just as you are, with open arms, whatever your strengths and weaknesses. He wants us all on His team, part of His holy kingdom, and He has the perfect position for each of us to fill.
Practice
As I watched my son and his team play this past weekend, I was amazed at how much their skills have improved over the years. I remember when they could barely dribble a ball up and down the court, and now they’re successfully completing plays, making difficult shots, and are playing well as a team. Last year, at the same tournament, they lost every single game. This year, they left with 1st place medals.
I tell my kids that they’ll only get out of something what they put into it, and if they don’t put in the practice time, they’re not going to get any better. That goes for anything we do in life which includes growing in our walks with Christ.
“The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you,” (Philippians 4:9).
When we first accepted that precious gift of salvation that Jesus made possible for us, we made His team. However, our work doesn’t end there. Just like working on sports skills improves our game, dedicating time and putting in effort to hone our Christian faith takes time and practice.
“But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded,” (2 Chronicles 15:17).
Getting into a routine each day is key but also taking advantage of those opportunities that present themselves to you outside of your routine “practice time” is extremely important. “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble,” (2 Peter 1:10).
It’s also important to differentiate between team practice and individual practice, which are both vital. Your group practice comes when you surround yourself with fellow believers in Christ…attending church regularly, participating in church activities, volunteering your time with organizations that help those in need, being a part of group Bible studies, attending Christian conferences and concerts, etc.
All those things not only help you grow your faith but also builds camaraderie with other Christian teammates as everyone works toward common goals: spreading the gospel, replicating Jesus’ love, and winning others for Christ.
“Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers,” (1 Timothy 4:15-16).
Individual practice is just as important if not more important than group practice. This is where you can really make gains putting in the extra work to hone your skills and get to the next level of performance. In our Christian walk, personal practice time includes those times spent one-on-one with God in prayer and quiet time, times of solitude reflecting on your gifts and shortcomings, time delving deeper into the Bible, and time working on individual callings God has directed you toward.
My favorite coach used to say, “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.” While we can never be perfect, no matter how hard we try, we can strive to be more like the only perfect one, our spiritual coach Jesus Christ, by following His example and teachings as outlined in the Bible. Perfection isn’t humanly attainable; however, the next best thing, redemption through Christ, is.
“But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God,” (John 3:21).
Perseverance
While my son was playing basketball all day, I was sitting in the bleachers watching. If you’ve ever experienced a long tournament day, you know, especially as you get older, that bleacher sitting isn’t the most comfortable thing. It can literally be a pain in the you know what.
When you’re in the bleachers, you’re not really a participant in the game. Yes, you’re present cheering on your team (and possibly jeering at the officials if you don’t agree with a call), but you’re not personally in the game affecting the outcome.
On God’s team, we don’t just want to be spectators. We want to be in the game, making plays and scoring points. We want to defeat our opponents and bring home that win for our fellow believers and for our Lord.
Unfortunately, we’re not always going to come home with a “W.” We may lose battles at times, and that’s okay. Our ultimate goal is to win the war. We all know there is a spiritual war going on continuously in this world, and we’re all a part of it.
Therefore, we must never give up, even when we have those bad days when no matter what we do, we just can’t make the shot. When our team suffers a loss, it’s important to learn from it and work harder to overcome those obstacles in the future.
James 1:2-4 instructs us to, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
After a loss, we need to seek out our coach and get direction from Him, because as much as we may want to, we can’t win the game on our own. We need Jesus and our teammates (our fellow believers) who are there battling it out with us. When we fall short of the goal, we simply must put in more practice, stick with the game plan, and try to have a better day tomorrow than the one before.
Are you falling short today? Are you missing the shots you should be easily sinking? Remember, no one is perfect, and no one can carry a team alone. Seek out the Lord your God and turn to your sisters and brothers in Christ to assist you.
“That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe,” (1 Timothy 4:10).
Remember, you were chosen for God’s team for a reason, and when you lean on Jesus Christ, you will never lose.
“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves,” (Ephesians 1:4-6).
If you’re not on the Lord’s team yet, He is actively recruiting. Come join us!
Have a blessed week!
-Becky
